Graham Morgan's career was initially in physical education and then football coaching at a high level, before moving on to devising Project HERO (Health Engagement Real Outcomes), a multi-award-winning mentoring programme. He has taken the successful mentoring work of Evolve: A Social Impact Company, developed in partnership with John Bishop, and combined it with the brain training expertise of Dr. Michael Merzenich of BrainHQ. The result is poised to be a game-changer for football coaching. Graham John Morgan, Performance Mentor Graham Morgan believes we should never underestimate the longer-term benefits of giving recognition and support to colleagues and to those with innovative ideas in particular. Hello Graham. I understand you wish to speak about the vital importance of showing recognition and support to others. Yes, I do. Throughout my career, I have been a serial innovator and a positive disruptor. This can be a lonely journey that brings annoyance to some people who want things to stay as they are and always resist change, even if that change is for the better. Can you give some more details? Certainly, and I am very pleased recognise three excellent individuals who have really helped in my career. My first boss was Brian James, Head of PE at the Eaton City of Norwich School, where I served my Probationary year as a newly qualified teacher. Within a few months of my first year of teaching in 1974, he made it possible for me to be funded on a national FA Coaching course. At 22 years of age, he said I had a bright future in football coaching, even if I did not see it myself. His vision and encouragement got me started on a long and eventful journey. In my career at adidas, I was very fortunate to work with two bosses who showed great support for some of my ideas that others had dismissed out of hand. At adidas UK, Barry Hunter oversaw Football at a time when we were preparing to launch the Predator boot, but with limited resources. I proposed we do so through the grassroots of football, something never before attempted. Barry listened to my ideas and backed them fully, and added significant value to them himself. The success of the Predator boot in the UK, and then subsequently globally, is down to his leadership in that process. At adidas AG, the international headquarters, I was fortunate to be mentored by Warren Mersereau, a football-mad American. Warren listened to my idea of building a grassroots Football Park under the Eiffel Tower, despite the scepticism and obstruction of some senior managers in the company. Warren really supported and developed my idea, and it allowed 48 kids’ teams from adidas grassroots around the world a chance to say they had played at the World Cup '98, along with local schools, fans, sponsors, and the general public. The Football Park succeeded in attracting 1.3 million attendees over the period of the World Cup, the same as the number who watched live in stadia.  The recognition, encouragement, and support of these leaders was transformational. People must never underestimate the power of showing recognition and support. Indeed, their example has spurred me to “pay it on” wherever possible. At Evolve, we have helped many young people to get started and move upward with their careers. Two examples best illustrate what is possible when you invest your faith in others. Dr Jeevan Chagger joined us directly from school. After a number of years with Evolve, he has been trained as a Health Mentor, achieved an MSc (Distinction), become a qualified teacher, and earned an Honorary Doctorate from Newman University, all with no student loan. Brian Padden joined Evolve with few academic qualifications due to challenges in his upbringing. He worked diligently and now has an MA (Distinction) and has set up his own company to help support children affected by trauma. If you recognise, encourage, and support the potential you see in others, it can set off a positive domino effect reaching forward and multiplying down the years. Graham, let's look at recognition at a different level. Congratulations on receiving the Forttuna Global Excellence Award for Footballing Brains. This recognition celebrates not just your football work, but also your broader approach to learning and performance. How does it feel to see that impact acknowledged? It is a wonderful feeling. The award means a lot because it recognises the central idea behind Footballing Brains, that the principles of high-performance thinking apply everywhere, on the pitch, in the classroom, at work, and in day-to-day life. I use football as the entry point, a signpost if you will, but the goal has always been bigger. I understand that you nearly did not enter the Award. Why was that? I kept receiving emails from Forttuna, whom I did not know, requesting that I apply for an award. I dismissed the first three approaches, thinking it was another “pay for an award” commercial activity. Forttuna persevered, and so I researched them and discovered their winner selection is jury-led, merit-based, and evidence-driven, involving research, application screening, structured questionnaires, and expert evaluation, all aimed at recognising genuine excellence, innovation, and impact rather than merely issuing promotional awards.  The Forttuna Global Excellence Awards had a real authenticity that drove me to apply. Amusingly, this was a common process that so many of my fellow award winners had experienced. When we were chatting at the Awards event, we all expressed our caution at the initial approach from Forttuna. So how does Forttuna go about selecting its winners? It is a remarkably thorough process. Having expressed interest, you get a call to explain how the application process works. Next is a questionnaire, which is a very serious and detailed interrogation of your work. I was then told that in several weeks, I would get feedback through a video call regarding my application. How did that video call go? I was very surprised to be told that my feedback would come from Dr Raul Handa, Founder and CEO of the Forttuna Group. Dr Raul is a very impressive human being, and you could not fail to be impressed by him. He took me through the selection process, which has a global reach: Initial approaches to 2.1 million individuals from over 80 countries Use of AI to reduce this number to 500,000 profiles for more detailed evaluation This number is then reduced to 40,000+ interviews Using an independent jury of industry experts, entrants were awarded a score out of 100 There are 200+ award categories There are finally 250+ winners If you get over 90, you are a serious candidate “Graham”, he said, “you have scored 94.8, and you have won a Forttuna Global Excellence Award.”  I cannot properly describe how fantastic it felt to hear him say this. How was the presentation ceremony? It was how I imagine the Oscars are. The event was held at the JA Soul Beach Hotel in Dubai. Full purple carpet treatment, photographers and video cameramen everywhere, glitz and glamour, even a dress code with colour guidelines.  Attendance was free to award winners, and if you did not want to travel, you could receive your award at home. I was not going to miss out on an occasion like this, so I booked a flight and a room on the QE2 floating hotel and arranged to meet friends who live in Dubai. Footballing Brains attempts to signpost redefine how people can learn and improve their performance. What is innovative about the approach? My programme has come from working in collaboration with the work of two special people to create a blended approach I call Mentored Brain Training.  Dr Michael Merzenich of Posit Science is a global leading neuroscientist and is known as the Godfather of neuroplasticity. His online brain training programme, Brain HQ, is an incredible piece of work. John Bishop, my colleague at Evolve: A Social Impact Company, who has been pioneering mentoring approaches in schools for almost 20 years. Mentoring allows for recognition and support for individuals themselves, and not just clinical data feedback on performance. Traditionally, education and learning have been about repetition, instruction, and exam preparation. I believe that following the advances of social media, the COVID-19 lockdowns, and the advent of AI, education has been left behind and does not prepare the next generation for life as it may have been in the past.  Change has been needed for a long time, and Evolve believes that if you give focus to physical, emotional, and cognitive health, people will be better able to deal with the opportunities and challenges that come their way in life. Thinking is more important than remembering. So the idea is that “football intelligence” becomes “life intelligence”? Exactly. The difference between good players and great players is the decisions they make in the game. Every movement we make, and every decision we take, comes from the brain. It is the only muscle that is active for every minute of every game, and yet it is largely ignored and neglected. Footballing Brains combats three major challenges facing football (and Rugby) today, challenges that exist everywhere in life: Better performance by improving attention and focus, scanning, processing, and decision-making. Players can make better decisions, more quickly and more often.  Improved mental strength and resilience. Combatting Alzheimer’s through keeping the brain “younger” by being active. Players learn how to stay composed under pressure, make faster decisions, interpret complex information, and organise their thinking, those are life skills. Those same processes help a student during exams, a manager leading a team, or anyone dealing with stress or uncertainty. The brain doesn’t compartmentalise. If you train it well in one domain, it benefits all the others. You always stress the cross-sector benefits, particularly in education, health, and business. How does the programme translate into those areas? In education, we can use football scenarios to teach executive-functioning skills, focus, planning, and evaluating options. It helps students who struggle with traditional learning engage in a more dynamic way. In health, the programme supports emotional regulation, mental well-being, and confidence. The combination of structured challenge and positive psychology has been powerful, especially for young people navigating life pressures. In business, leaders are embracing the same cognitive principles we teach athletes, clarity under pressure, collaborative thinking, and strategic awareness. It’s a universal performance model. Some people say Footballing Brains is as much a personal-development programme as it is a football programme. Do you agree? I do. Football is the medium, not the limit. What we really teach is how to think effectively, communicate clearly, manage emotion, and make better choices. Football gives us a setting where people can safely experiment, build confidence, and grow. But the real aim is longevity, helping people perform well in every part of life. What’s next now that the programme has received some global recognition? Hopefully, the Forttuna Award will draw attention to the possibilities and benefits of Mentored Brain Training. Football has been slow to engage with working with the brain, as has education. There is so much that could be achieved if we engage with a wider audience. Individuals and society at large can benefit. I have already held discussions on how best to achieve this by going directly to players and individuals rather than the over-cautious clubs and slow-moving organisations. The goal is to create a global community of people who understand that performance isn’t just physical or technical, it’s deeply mental. And once you unlock that, the possibilities are endless. Finally, what message do you hope this award sends? That new ways of learning can be exciting, empowering, and transformational. Whether you’re a footballer, a student, a leader, or someone just trying to improve your well-being, you can change the way you think, and when you change your thinking, you change everything else. That is at the heart of Footballing Brains. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website  for more info! Read more from Graham John Morgan

Written by Luis Vicente Garcia, Business Performance-Leadership-Success Coach Luis Vicente García is a business coach, international speaker, and best-selling author, known for helping entrepreneurs and leaders elevate performance through mindset, motivation, and strategic leadership. This article concludes the series of this year’s Brainz Magazine contributions, in which I invited you to explore how humanity, leadership, and business have transformed between 2020 and 2025. Throughout the year, we examined the transition from CEO to business coach, the rise of new business models, the gap between strategy and mindset, the Triple Crisis, the shift toward resilient growth, the PPP Formula, and how this extraordinary five-year period has reshaped both humanity and the world we inhabit. Today, we close the cycle with the framework that brings all these reflections together, a new way of understanding the present and envisioning the future, EMERGE. From collapse to consciousness: The world is no longer VUCA, BANI, or PLUTO – We are emerging For decades, leaders have relied on well-established frameworks to make sense of a turbulent and increasingly complex world. Each model offered a valuable lens for interpreting the challenges of its time. VUCA, volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous, described the accelerating unpredictability of globalization and technological disruption, helping organizations navigate rapid change, yet it explained volatility more than humanity. BANI, brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible, emerged during the pandemic era and revealed our collective fragility – emotional strain, anxiety, nonlinear shocks, and the difficulty of making sense of unprecedented events. PLUTO, pervasive, layered, unpredictable, transient, oppressive, captured the overwhelming saturation of modern life, with multiple crises layered upon one another, relentless transitions, and a constant sense of pressure. These models were valuable. They helped us name our challenges, design contingency plans, and prepare for environments we could barely anticipate. However, they also shared a common limitation. They focused primarily on the negative side of the crisis. There is a well-known idea, often associated with Chinese philosophy, suggesting that the concept of crisis brings together two forces – danger and opportunity. While linguistically debated, the symbolism remains powerful. Crisis is not only about what threatens us. It is also about what becomes possible. Most dominant frameworks trained us to see the danger clearly, but not always the opportunity. And today, something profoundly different is happening. “The world is no longer VUCA, nor BANI, nor PLUTO. We are not collapsing. We are emerging.” We are not witnessing the end of an era. We are witnessing the beginning of a new one. 2025 is not the peak of the crisis. It is the threshold of human evolution, a shift that will become increasingly visible as we move into 2026. The world is not breaking down. It is reorganizing itself. We are not losing control. We are gaining consciousness, and with it, new ways of approaching leadership, business, innovation, and value creation. We are entering a world that cannot be understood solely through frameworks of fear or survival. We must change our perspective and begin to understand reality with a different mindset, one guided by vision, purpose, and human expansion. The world is transforming, becoming something new. We are entering a world of EMERGE. 2025: The year humanity began to emerge The last five years did not simply challenge us. As I wrote in my most recent article, 2025 has been the year that changed humanity and awakened us. We learned that living permanently in crisis mode is unsustainable. We learned that resilience is essential while we adapt, but it is not a permanent state. Eventually, even resilience must evolve into renewal and reinvention. We learned that: purpose matters as much as productivity, well-being is strategic, not optional, empathy and collaboration are competitive capabilities, technology accelerates evolution, not just disruption, transformation is no longer episodic. It has become continuous, and meaning is increasingly becoming a universal human need. Across cultures, generations, and industries, a quiet but decisive transition took place. We crossed a threshold of awareness. Humanity has experienced similar awakenings before, during the Enlightenment, when reason and science reshaped societies, during the Industrial Revolution, which transformed economies and labor, and during the Digital Revolution, which connected the world and redefined access to information. Each of these transitions changed how humanity lived, worked, and imagined the future. Today’s moment is no different, except that it is unfolding faster, more globally, and with deeper emotional and psychological implications. 2025 is not an era of endings. It is an era of emergence. And this moment calls for a new framework. From awakening to framework: Introducing EMERGE What we are experiencing is not a prolonged crisis, nor a sequence of isolated disruptions. It is a civilizational shift. The dominant question of the past decade was, “How do we survive uncertainty?” The defining question of this new era is fundamentally different, “How do we evolve, personally, organizationally, and collectively, while the world itself is transforming?” This moment requires more than resilience, more than agility, and more than contingency planning. It requires a framework that allows us to see emergence rather than collapse, possibility rather than paralysis, and direction rather than fear. That framework is EMERGE. EMERGE: More than a model EMERGE does not describe crisis. It describes rebirth. It does not define fear. It defines evolution. While previous frameworks focused on instability, fragility, and overload, EMERGE focuses on what is forming beneath the surface, new ways of thinking, working, leading, and creating value. EMERGE recognizes that the world is not disintegrating, but reorganizing. Systems are not failing randomly, but adapting under pressure. Humanity is not regressing, but relearning what truly matters. It is both a lens and a call to action. A lens to interpret reality as a living system in transformation. A call to action to move from reaction to intention, and from survival to meaningful progress. The EMERGE dimensions: Six forces shaping the new era E – Entangled: We live in an age of radical interconnection. Nothing exists in isolation. Decisions ripple across systems, geographies, and generations. M – Mutable: Change is no longer an exception. It is the default. Adaptability is no longer reactive. It must be designed. E – Exponential: Progress is nonlinear. Technology, knowledge, and innovation are accelerating beyond linear comprehension. R – Regenerative: Resilience is no longer enough. The emerging world demands restoration, sustainability, and long-term vitality. G – Guided by purpose: Purpose has moved from aspiration to strategy. It anchors decisions, aligns teams, and builds trust. E – Evolutionary: There is no final state of balance. Growth is continuous, adaptive, and conscious. We are becoming the architects of what comes next Everything we have lived through between 2020 and 2025 has prepared us for this moment, a moment not of collapse, but of possibility. The old frameworks helped us understand disruption, but they cannot guide us into the future we are now capable of creating. A new chapter of humanity is beginning, one that demands greater awareness, more profound humanity, and a more expansive vision of leadership. EMERGE is not just a model. It is an invitation. An invitation to lead with purpose. To grow with intention. To build with consciousness. The future is not a force acting upon us. It is a space we are shaping with every decision, every action, and every mindset shift. We are entering an era defined not by what breaks, but by what becomes. And for the first time in decades, the message is clear and hopeful. We are not collapsing. We are emerging, and the world is emerging with us. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Luis Vicente Garcia Luis Vicente Garcia, Business Performance-Leadership-Success Coach Luis Vicente García is a business performance coach, international speaker, and best-selling author with over 35 years of experience in leadership, motivation, and strategic growth. A former CFO and CEO, he now empowers professionals through Incrementum Academy and his signature concept, Motitud, the fusion of motivation and positive attitude. Certified by Brian Tracy and Jack Canfield, Luis helps entrepreneurs and leaders unlock their full potential. He writes regularly for global platforms and is a recognized voice on mindset, productivity, and leadership transformation.

Written by Dan Taylor, MS, CSCS, 50+ Fitness and Nutrition Expert Dan's exercise Physiology/Sports Nutrition education, NSCA Strength and Conditioning background, and work with a wide variety of active older adults since 1998 make him the ideal guide to help navigate the muddy waters of optimal eating and training strategies for the over-50 athlete and fitness seeker. Are you a mature athlete who is less than thrilled with the combination of your current body fat level and your strength/muscularity or stamina/sprint capacity? That’s the perennial dilemma for most athletes of all ages. But in our 50s, 60s, and beyond, most have more difficulty and smaller margins for error on that ambitious quest. Eating habits and training approaches that seemed to work for years and provided plenty of flexibility are suddenly less effective, harder to maintain, and present a host of new obstacles, some physical  and others psychological . Defining the problem Common evolving challenges for the aging athlete can negatively affect performance, body composition, or both. They include physiological and metabolic degradations  that affect structural capacity and energy processing, hormonal changes that affect muscle retention and fat breakdown and storage, and elements of both that affect training tolerance and recovery. If we have expectations of strength and muscularity, we think we should be able to reach that with a level of leanness that doesn’t easily (or realistically) coexist with the muscle/strength goals, frustration and disappointment are almost certain to follow. What factors drive the disconnect The short answer to why these two ambitions often clash for the older athlete is that they are both difficult to reach and preserve, and each may require divergent practices to optimize. The most confounding element in the equation, by far, is a distorted standard that is pervasive in the media and popular culture. And it is close to impossible for most (especially in our age group) to achieve, let alone maintain. Each of these warrants a closer look before looking for a viable solution. Building strength requires progressive overload resistance training, adequate protein (PRO), and calories (kcals) A fundamental principle of building strength and muscle volume is the concept of energy surplus  (see sec 2.2 Nutritional and Recovery Variables). Why is that? Post-workout (WO) energy replenishment is a critical building block for skeletal muscle resynthesis, and the process itself is energy-depleting. Further, older athletes experience age-related declines in protein sensitivity (absorption) and will sometimes circumstantially increase caloric intake as a side-effect of “hitting their macros”. The rare case of losing body fat via caloric deficit while simultaneously building muscle is only reasonable with previously untrained exercisers who are also substantially overweight or obese. This is the profile that has significant unrealized strength-building opportunities.  It’s also the one with an abundance of stored fat that can be depleted without compromising stored protein (muscle tissue) during the process. Chronic rigorous workouts require adequate carbohydrates (CHO) and rest for optimal recovery Post-WO recovery, whether it be primarily endurance, strength, or mixed format, is heavily dependent on both endogenous CHO (already stored in the body) and fuel replenishment from post-WO, CHO-rich meals. This principle bears a linear relationship with the combination of duration and intensity. More CHO = more kcals. Supplying these needs while trying to avoid accumulating a surplus of kcals (body fat) is threading the needle with skill that requires practice and precision, many don’t ever master. Long-term caloric surplus raises body fat levels 100 excess daily kcals = 3,000 in a month = 10 lbs. of additional fat in a year. Consider this simple equation, and you’ll start to understand why so many people increase body fat over the years, even when they exercise regularly. Social media and popular culture fuel unrealistic body image expectations (even for peak athletic capacity) Want to feel terrible about yourself? Keep immersing yourself in the seductively toxic arena of social media body-shaming. When I was completing the capstone for my graduate degree in exercise physiology and sports nutrition (studying for the CSCS  exam), I learned that the average body fat percentage for male and female Division I collegiate athletes (average age 29) is 15% and 20%, respectively. Yet many of the images plastered across the internet, billboards, and magazines display models far leaner than these figures for us to yearn to embody so we can crash in disappointment - until we buy their product and redeem our value as humans! This is perversely twisted and has become standard. If you’re interested in a dose of sanity about this topic, watch this  outstanding video on body fat levels , what they look like, how difficult each is to obtain and sustain, and the health status effects of each. The simple fixes Okay, I said simple (uncomplicated), not easy. But the top level of this problem (optimizing your body composition for your sport/s or as a lifestyle athlete, your WO program) has two major interdependent components: eating habits and energy use (including but not limited to your fitness/sport kcal, macro, and micronutrient requirements). But first, a well-defined (and realistic) vision of your objectives and underlying reasons is critical for long-term success. Here are the steps to follow: Get clarity on identity, discipline, and motivation You’ll need all three of these attributes. The deepest (identity) is also the most important. Until you see yourself as someone who practices a lifestyle that is an organic product of your self-identification, you’ll over-rely on discipline as a substitute. Unless you're a recent military recruit going through basic training, the effort is likely to fail as you can “tap out” at any time. Once you have thoroughly adopted the persona of a “fit person/healthful lifestyle proponent” and reinforced that through your actions and a sustained, consistent track record, daily discipline will be your trusted guidepost, rather than your bitter nemesis. And finally, to be quite honest, if you clear these two bars consistently, motivation won’t even be part of the equation. But you won’t have its absence as your whipping boy anymore, either. Set realistic (and sustainable) metrics If you skipped the video I mentioned earlier, go back and watch it now. No, really. It may not be life-changing, but it will be perspective-changing on this hotly debated topic. And for metrics, my article on fitness baselines  is a helpful companion for the mature hybrid athlete who wants to know reasonable measures for fit folks in our age bracket. But a few examples of ideal body fat ranges for different athletes might be helpful here. These are my estimates, but I’m sure coaches for these specific sports would agree with the general vicinity for each (these are for males; add 3 - 5% for a female equivalent range): Athlete Ideal BF% range Sumo wrestler 25 - 40+ Football lineman 20 - 35 Heavyweight boxer 18 - 25 Racquet sport athlete 15 - 20 Gymnast/acrobat 10 - 15 For reference, I’m currently around 12% (at 63 years old) and am in my performance/aesthetic “sweet spot”. I was at 9% at 49 and felt weak, and I’m sluggish at 17%. Boxing was my sport, and my fitness program supports those types of demands. Establish simple, sound strategies for each goal If you want a more detailed roadmap, you’ll need to subscribe to the program. But the framework is designed around these must-have fundamentals: Adequate energy, PRO, and a modest (but consistent) daily kcal deficit (if leaning down) or a modest to moderate kcal surplus (if bulking). Learn how best to do both in the subscription program. Prioritize vegetables and lean PRO over fruit and whole grains, and minimize empty kcals and nutrient-poor beverages. Veggies and lean PRO sources should account for nearly 75% of your total food intake (yes, really). Be most liberal with volume in your post-WO meal to optimize recovery. If you’re trying to lean down, frankly, it’s a little easier to manage a daily kcal shortfall if you train earlier in the day so you are not torn between replenishing PRO, CHO, and kcals and the adversarial objective of creating a daily kcal deficit. If you’re bulking, understand that you’re not going to be as lean as you’d like until you switch your focus after adding the muscle volume and strength you worked hard to attain. Fine-tune based on how you look and feel over the long haul. Don’t get caught up in micro-analyzing short-term metrics. This is a long game if you’re going to do it right. Have plans A-C to maintain the fundamentals (tactics) Again, lots of ideas and examples are in the subscription program, but having a basic daily template with at least a bit of variety (say, a three-day plan you repeat and then have a “floater” day in the seven days) makes success much more likely. But unexpected obstacles spring up for everyone. So, if I take egg bites and a protein pancake sandwich, veg juice, a banana, and a protein drink to work (plan A), I’m good for a few to several hours. If I forgot my lunch bag, I’ll shoot over to Starbucks for one of the protein plates (half a peanut butter sandwich, baby carrots, a mozzarella stick, and two apple slices) and a low-fat latte as a backup (plan B). If Starbucks is closed, I’ll go to a juice bar at lunch, get whatever has kale or spinach in it, get whey and soy PRO boosts, and sub in low-fat milk for the fruit juice (plan C). Get the picture? I have similar backup plans for training, as well, that require little or no equipment. Notice when behaviors (and results) are at odds You may be nailing the eating plan but feel weak, jittery, or even a little nauseated or light-headed during your WOs. It’s worth considering the possibility that you’re not fueling enough for the demands of your body’s maintenance requirements and your fitness program combined. Conversely, you may feel heavy and sluggish after meals and not have your food completely digested when it’s time to train. That’s a common struggle for ketogenic diet practitioners and folks who only eat one meal per day. If you’re also bulking up a little too much, and not with quite the type of tissue you were hoping to add, the eating plan and the training plan need to sync up better. This is a typical adjustment we make with subscribers who share their experiences and ask for guidance. Prioritize the harder goal to reach and keep If you’re trying to manage the process on your own, a good starting point is to prioritize the more important objective (adding muscle, for example, although the opposite may be the case for you) and measuring your success at that while maintaining a manageable secondary effort (avoiding increasing body fat), and then shifting your focus on improving the other while maintaining what you already achieved. The opposing profile might be someone who wants to lean down (as I did recently to prepare for my wife’s and my annual anniversary trip to Maui). I started around 14% BF and slowly, methodically leaned down to about 11% over about eight weeks (more on how I did that in the program). All the while, I used the weight I could move for 10 reps for chin-ups, squats, dumbbell bench press, and deadlifts (about 75% of my bodyweight) as my metric for preserving strength and muscle volume. I had expected to overeat every day of the 9-day vacation. Of course, I met those expectations with ease. But we went to the gym most mornings, and I swam the width of the bay on our beach days, so I came back having raised my BF by only about 1%. This is exactly what I had planned for and ate and trained for eight weeks to produce. Fine-tune behaviors based on progress and sustainability This action may be intuitive, conceptually, but to be effective with the practice, you need both experience and objectivity. This is where expert guidance  can be especially valuable. Although every profile is different, there are common trends, roadblocks, mistakes to avoid, and blind spots to conquer if you want to dial in your optimal fueling and training practice. Get expert coaching to start properly Our subscription program  is an outstanding value with literally no risk, as you can opt out at any time. But the daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly practical insights and personalized guidance are an extraordinarily high return-on-investment proposition if you plan to live your best life for the rest of your life. Follow me on Facebook , YouTube , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Dan Taylor, MS, CSCS Dan Taylor, MS, CSCS, 50+ Fitness and Nutrition Expert Dan left a career in high-tech corporate finance in 1998 to pursue his mission of leading others in elevating and simplifying the art of physical aging through the best fitness and eating practices for the mature athlete (and the aspiring athlete). His online subscription program provides a clear and simple pathway to achieve peak performance while lowering disease and injury risk, adopting powerful and principled eating practices that effectively support the training framework, and developing an individualized, manageable, and adaptable template for both.

Written by Jessica Falcon, Soul Embodiment Guide & Relationship Expert A former lawyer turned mystic, Jessica Falcon is an International Soul Embodiment Guide & Relationship Expert. She guides you to embody your power, reclaim your sovereignty, and experience true freedom. Tune into her Soul Sovereignty & Sexuality Podcast. When you balance your inner masculine with your inner feminine, you create inner sacred union, which is the key to embodying your sovereignty and experiencing true freedom. We have all been bombarded with inherited beliefs and absorbed social conditioning that tell us what it means to be masculine or feminine, neither of which are limited to biological sex. Unfortunately, much of this conditioning is based on distorted notions of masculine or feminine energy that are rooted in inequality. The belief that it is weak to feel, for example, is connected to a belief that we should deny matter, the body, and life itself in order to be “spiritual” or “closer to God.” Over 3,500 years ago, we started to deny the divinity of the Earth and all that represented the feminine. Life, love, and desire were suppressed and made inferior. Women were forced to take on a more submissive role, which included silencing their voices. Love became equated with selflessness. Men suffered the loss of the feminine within themselves as well. This included the ability to feel, to emote, to be embodied in pleasure, and to open and receive nourishment and nurturance. From an ancient perspective, masculine energy is not what we see today. It is not about being dominant, aggressive, hard, tough, big, unfeeling, stern, or solely the provider. These were adopted as masculine traits when the masculine and feminine energies became divided and therefore wounded. To conquer another or to have power over another are not masculine qualities. If we insist that they are, we perpetuate the dehumanization of men. Nor is the true feminine weak, submissive, compliant, uncontrollable, or overly emotional. She does not exist for the benefit of men. She exists for herself when she is sovereign. To be sovereign requires the reclamation of the divine feminine and the divine masculine within oneself. Sovereignty necessitates inner union because the inner masculine is our consciousness, which enables us to go into the depths of the body to receive its infinite wisdom, which is the inner feminine. The feminine is the body. The masculine is the mind. The point of union is the heart. The heart bridges. The heart sees. The heart receives. Love is how we unify all aspects of the self into wholeness, including the masculine and feminine energies within. When you bring the consciousness of your divinity, for example, and infuse it into your body, your soul takes the lead. Your soul is your divinity in form. The masculine consciousness unifies with the feminine, the body. I call this soul embodiment. You live as, breathe as, and experience yourself as the divine being you are. Your divinity is no longer an intellectual concept. Unfortunately, many in the spiritual world go up and out of the body rather than grounding higher frequencies of love and joy into their physicality or daily reality. The balancing of masculine and feminine energies is therefore a process of soul alignment. The soul is an individuated aspect of the divine that is you. Since the soul vibrates at the frequency of divine love, you create inner union by: Becoming aware of your thoughts and beliefs and aligning them with divine love. For example, are you operating from a place of inner fullness or inner lack? Noticing your emotions, which are energy in motion, and getting curious about the underlying thought or belief. Is that belief your truth? Is it a belief you want to keep? Infusing your physical body with the love of your heart so that your cells begin to vibrate at a higher frequency, which automatically shifts you out of lower-frequency emotions and thoughts. Your masculine consciousness creates the capacity for you to do this. It is the ability to observe yourself, to be a witness to your inner world. You take your mind’s eye into your body and allow it to communicate with you. You allow emotions to rise and be acknowledged. You allow sensations to be felt. You allow intuition to speak. Your ability to be in your heart aids this tremendously because it helps your inner self feel safe enough to speak to you. When you judge an experience, you stop the flow of communication. When you identify with it as who you are, you cannot move the energy or emotion. When you attach to it, you do not get to see the truth underneath. The masculine holds the space, the container, within which the feminine can flow. The masculine is the active witness, while the feminine receives the inner nudges and inner knowing. The masculine then takes the necessary action inspired by the creative impulse. A person who simply lets their emotions run rampant is chaotic and out of control, too feminine. A person who denies or dismisses their emotions is disembodied, too masculine. A person who observes their emotions with an open heart and curiosity allows wisdom to be received while staying centered in a grounded, balanced inner masculine and feminine. Think of a river. The riverbanks are the boundaries. The water itself is the feminine flow. Without the container, the river would simply become a flood or chaos. If there were no flow at all, we would be in a drought. We need both the boundary of the riverbanks and the flow of water to be in balance. Here are some other examples: Creativity, feminine, without implementing the inspiration, masculine, is fruitless. It does not yield anything. Being open and vulnerable, feminine, is dangerous without discernment, masculine, which is trusting yourself and the perceived energies or intentions of another. Having compassion for somebody, feminine, without holding them accountable for their actions, masculine, leads to codependency and unhealthy relationship dynamics. Coming into the body is coming into the feminine. However, if we go into the body without the consciousness of our divinity directing the exploration, we become enslaved to its drives or impulses. If we do not question our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, choices, and actions, then we are ruled by something outside of ourselves. To be sovereign is to know yourself. It is to be your own master. It is to live from the inside out. Thus, you go into the inner self through the body to explore the subconscious mind and make it conscious. You may have heard people refer to the feminine as dark and the masculine as light. This usually refers to the light of masculine consciousness piercing through the darkness of the shadow accessed in the subconscious mind, which resides in the body. The feminine itself is not dark. Even the core of the dark, fertile Earth is light. The greater your capacity to attune to love, the greater your capacity to balance your inner masculine and feminine energies. This is not about becoming something or somebody else, or fitting a societal image. It is about becoming more of who you are by aligning with your soul’s truth. As you do so, you consciously release all that is not your truth, including absorbed social conditioning, inherited beliefs, and past traumas. The more you anchor into a true sense of self by rooting into your body’s wisdom, the more boundaries naturally arise. You receive more love in relationships because you know, and therefore reveal, more of who you are to others. Your capacity to give love increases because you operate from overflow, not from lack or need. On a practical level, balancing inner masculine and feminine energies requires you to: Spend time daily connecting to your inner self. Place your hands on your heart or belly and breathe deeply into your body. Create time and space for the energy contained within to move so it rises into your conscious awareness. Receive your inner needs, feelings, and desires with an open heart. As you become aware of your thoughts and emotions, acknowledge them and get curious about them. What is the underlying belief? Is it your truth? If not, what is your truth? Take action and make choices based on your inner wisdom. Move from inner knowing and inspiration rather than solely acting from shoulds, have-tos, reason, and logic. Balancing inner masculine and feminine energies is the bridge between the invisible, spiritual, and energetic realms and the visible, physical, and material realms. When you hear a deep soul truth, it is up to you to honor it, even when you cannot yet see how. You do not look for external confirmation. When you let your inner soul self guide your life, you not only reclaim your sovereignty, but you also enter the realm of magic, and your whole life changes. Love is the key and the way. To dive deeper into honoring your boundaries, speaking your truth, and reclaiming your sovereignty in relationships so you can experience true freedom, you can work with me one-to-one in a Divine Activation Portal or explore the monthly online Temple of Divine Feminine Power . Follow me on  Facebook ,   Instagram , and  LinkedIn  for more info. Read more from Jessica Falcon Jessica Falcon, Soul Embodiment Guide & Relationship Expert A former lawyer turned mystic, Jessica Falcon is an International Soul Embodiment Guide & Relationship Expert. She guides you to embody your power, reclaim your sovereignty, and experience true freedom. Jessica spent years researching religious history, ancient civilizations, and mythology to get to the root of unequal power dynamics in relationships. She has identified the core beliefs and wounds that must be confronted to experience shared power and freedom in relationships. She leads retreats, workshops, and online portals of transformation to help you embody your divinity, activate your sexual life force energy, and revolutionize your relationships. Tune into her Soul Sovereignty & Sexuality Podcast on all major platforms.

Written by Cedric Drake, Educational Psychologist and Technologist Cedric Drake is an expert in educational psychology. He dissects learning and brings innovative ideas. He contributes to educational think tanks and writes articles for academic institutions in the US and Asia. Currently, he is building a publishing company to connect students to companies in different fields and expand education. The classroom of the 21st century is no longer just a place where teachers transmit facts and students memorize them. It is becoming an ecosystem of human instructors, digital tools, and increasingly, artificial intelligence (AI). PedAIgogy, a portmanteau of “pedagogy” and “AI,” names the thoughtful, theory-driven practice of designing teaching and learning to leverage and address the affordances and limits of AI. It is not throwing AI at instruction. It is redesigning learning experiences so that AI amplifies meaningful outcomes such as agency, personalization, and higher-order thinking. What pedAIgogy is (and isn’t) At its simplest, pedAIgogy is a pedagogical stance. Educators intentionally select, configure, and mediate AI tools so they align with learning goals, evidence-based practices, and ethical values. That means: Framing AI tools as co-learners or assistants rather than replacements for teachers. Designing activities where AI handles routine personalization and feedback while humans teach judgment, critique, and the social competencies machines lack. Building meta-learning, teaching students how AI works, what its biases are, and how to interrogate its output. Crucially, pedAIgogy is not passive adoption of shiny tools. It explicitly connects AI features, such as adaptive sequencing, automated feedback, and generative content, to learning theories including constructivism, formative assessment, and self-regulated learning, as well as to practical classroom routines. How AI changes the possibilities for instruction AI offers several pedagogically meaningful capabilities: Adaptive, mastery-based pathways. Systems can continuously tailor difficulty, spacing, and prompts to an individual’s zone of proximal development, increasing learning efficiency and reducing frustration. Scalable formative feedback. Automated assessments and feedback loops let students revise drafts, practice skills, and receive hints at scale, freeing teachers to coach deeper thinking. Learner analytics for targeted instruction. Data can surface misconceptions, disengagement patterns, and growth trajectories, enabling educators to implement evidence-based interventions. New genres of creative, multimodal work. Generative tools let learners produce drafts, images, explanations, or simulations that would have been labor-intensive before, shifting the classroom toward iterative creation and critique. When deployed within a pedAIgogical design, these capabilities can support personalization without sacrificing collective goals such as collaboration, civic reasoning, or equity. PedAIgogy’s place in educational innovation Innovation in education is less about gadgets and more about changing routines and relationships. PedAIgogy contributes to that change in three interlocking ways: Reallocating human attention. By automating repetitive tasks, such as grading low-stakes items and generating practice problems, AI can allow teachers to spend more time mentoring, modeling disciplinary thinking, and facilitating project-based learning. Reimagining assessment. Continuous, formative analytics enable competency maps and richer evidence of learning than single high-stakes tests. That supports mastery learning and portfolio assessment models, which are central to many innovations. Expanding access to expertise. Intelligent tutors, simulations, and scaffolded feedback can bring high-quality instruction to more learners if systems are equitably distributed and culturally responsive. Put together, these shifts make pedAIgogy a lever for sustainable change rather than a cosmetic tech upgrade. Risks, equity, and ethical guardrails No innovation is neutral. Responsible pedAIgogy demands attention to harms that can undercut its promise: Bias and transparency. AI models trained on skewed data can amplify inequities. Students and educators need to understand model limitations and provenance. Privacy and surveillance. Learner analytics raise questions about consent, data governance, and who benefits from collecting learning traces. Overreliance and skill erosion. If AI handles reasoning tasks end-to-end, learners may fail to develop critical evaluation or problem-solving habits. PedAIgogy must intentionally preserve the cognitive work that humans should learn. International bodies, such as UNESCO, the OECD, and national education agencies, urge that AI adoption be paired with policy, teacher professional development, and ongoing evaluation. This is exactly the systems thinking pedAIgogy embodies. Practical steps for educators and leaders Adopting pedAIgogy need not be disruptive overnight. Practical steps include: Start with learning goals, not tools. Ask which part of learning could benefit from faster feedback, personalization, or content generation. Then map AI features to that aim. Pilot with clear success metrics. Run small trials that track learning outcomes, engagement, and equity indicators. Use outcome data to iterate. Teach AI literacy. Integrate lessons on how models work, bias, and source evaluation into existing curricula so students become critical users rather than passive consumers. Invest in teacher learning. PedAIgogy depends more on teacher expertise than on tool sophistication. Professional development should focus on design decisions, ethics, and new assessment forms. A hopeful but cautious future PedAIgogy offers a pragmatic middle path. It harnesses AI’s efficiency and scale while preserving what humans do best in education, mentoring, moral formation, and complex judgment. When combined with firm policy, research, and equity-centered practice, pedAIgogy can help education meet the complex demands of the 21st century, including personalized learning pathways, preparation for novel work, and civic competence in an AI-infused world. However, the promise will only be realized if educators lead the design, students are taught to interrogate AI, and systems are governed to protect equity and privacy. Follow me on Instagram and visit my website for more info! Read more from Cedric Drake Cedric Drake, Educational Psychologist and Technologist Cedric Drake is an educational psychologist and technologist in the learning field. His ten years as an educator left him with the psychological understanding to innovate classrooms and learning centers for all ages. He has since gone on to be an educator at Los Angeles Opera, do doctoral studies in educational psychology, publish scholarly literature reviews and papers, and work at the American Psychological Association as an APA Proposal Reviewer for the APA Conference. Selected references (sources used in this article): Donald Clark. (2023). PedAIgogy – new era of knowledge and learning where AI changes everything. Donald Clark Plan B. Donald Clark Plan B Centre for Learning Technology, University of Kent. (2025, Apr 7). Don't Just Add AI, Add PedAIgogy. Blogs at Kent. Kent Blogs UNESCO. (n.d.). Artificial intelligence in education. UNESCO Digital Education. UNESCO Wang, S., et al. (2024). Artificial intelligence in education: A systematic literature review. (Elsevier). ScienceDirect OECD. (2023). Generative AI in the classroom: From hype to reality? OECD Education Working Papers. ONE Marketplace The AI Pedagogy Project (metaLAB, Harvard). (2023). AI Pedagogy Project resources. The AI Pedagogy Project Al-Zahrani, A. M., et al. (2024). Unveiling the shadows: Beyond the hype of AI in education. PMC/NCBI. PMC

Cambridge, United Kingdom, January 2026. Leadership researcher and technologist Aravind Sakthivel announces the release of his new book, The Leadership Trap: Why Smart Leaders Fail and How to Break Free, available worldwide on Amazon from January 2026. The book is the result of a multi-year study of globally documented leadership failures, drawing exclusively on public information, including congressional investigations, regulatory reports, court filings, academic research, and long-term media analysis. Rather than relying on personal experience or internal corporate access, the book synthesises patterns found across some of the most widely reported organisational crises of the past three decades. A research-driven framework based on global cases The Leadership Trap identifies six systemic traps that repeatedly appear in large-scale leadership failures across industries and geographies. These traps are derived solely from publicly documented cases and cross-industry research. All company and individual names are changed to ensure the focus remains on leadership patterns and system failures rather than on specific organisations. Illustrative cases include the Stratford Aerospace Horizon 900 crisis, the Atlantic Foods capability collapse, the FlexSpace IPO breakdown, and the innovation failures at Apex Industrial. These cases are used because they are extensively documented in the public domain, allowing readers to examine recurring failure patterns without relying on confidential or proprietary information. “These patterns are not speculative,” says Aravind Sakthivel. “They are visible in the public record. What has been missing is a coherent framework that explains how these failures form, why they remain invisible to leaders, and how they can be prevented before damage becomes irreversible.” The six leadership traps The book outlines six recurring traps: Echo Chambers, where truth fails to reach decision makers Cost Cutting Illusions, where short term savings erode long term capability Leadership Absence, leaving organisations directionless during crisis Innovation Theatre, where activity replaces outcomes Fortress Cultures, where loyalty is rewarded over performance Metric Mirages, where dashboards hide underlying deterioration The three systems that prevent failure Alongside the traps, the book introduces three practical systems: the Challenge System, the Capability System, and the Cadence System. Together, these form an operational architecture leaders can use to prevent traps from forming or to reverse them once they appear. Each system includes diagnostic tools, weekly and monthly health checks, and documented escape routes grounded in public examples from resilient organisations, including Titan Industries, Southwest Airlines, and Microsoft. What readers gain Readers will gain: An evidence-based diagnostic framework Practical tools that can be applied immediately Public case studies showing how traps form and how they are reversed A 90-day implementation roadmap A research-backed model suitable for use across sectors About the author Aravind Sakthivel is an author, technologist, specialising in the intersection of AI, leadership behaviour, and organisational psychology. With more than 22 years of global technology leadership experience, he has served as CIO in complex multinational environments. Based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, Aravind’s research focuses on why intelligent, high-performing leaders fall into predictable organisational traps and how those failures can be prevented through system design rather than individual heroics. His framework, The Leadership Traps, provides a practical lens for diagnosing leadership decline and restoring organisational health. He holds an MBA from Nyenrode Business Universiteit and has completed executive education at Harvard Business School.  Book details Title: The Leadership Trap: Why Smart Leaders Fail and How to Break Free Author: Aravind Sakthivel Release Date: January 2026 Formats: Print and Kindle Publisher: Amazon Website Media, interviews, and speaking For interviews, review copies, or speaking invitations, contact: Aravind Sakthivel Cambridge, United Kingdom Website LinkedIn

Lasting health is not built on restriction or quick fixes, but on understanding what truly nourishes the body. In this interview, Anne Anyia, Registered Nutritional Therapist and Founder of Awesco Nutrition, shares how personalised nutrition, gut health, mindset, and sustainable habits come together to support long-term weight loss, energy, and well-being. Anne Anyia, Registered Nutritionist & Certified Health Coach Who is Anne Anyia? Anne Anyia is a Registered Nutritional Therapist, Nutritionist, and Certified Health Coach, and the Founder of Awesco Nutrition. She specialises in weight loss and gut health, helping clients transform their weight, health, and lifestyle through personalised nutrition, coaching, gut health support, and fitness. What inspired you to start Awesco Nutrition? My passion for health and nutrition began in childhood. Growing up, my mum often recalls how I was always encouraging family members to eat well and take their supplements—long before I ever considered it a career. Although I initially pursued a professional path in IT and spent several years in the industry, my interest in health never waned. Over time, I felt increasingly drawn to work that aligned more closely with my values and desire to help others. Following this calling, I returned to education to study Nutritional Therapy, a decision that proved transformational. It enabled me to combine science-led nutrition with a holistic approach to wellbeing. This journey ultimately led to the creation of Awesco Nutrition, through which I now support clients in improving their weight, gut health, and overall lifestyle through personalised nutrition, coaching, and fitness-focused strategies. How do you help clients transform their health through nutrition? I help clients transform their health through personalised nutrition. I teach them what to eat, how to eat, and when to eat for optimal health, empowering them to improve weight, gut health, energy, and overall well-being through sustainable lifestyle changes. What makes your approach to nutrition different from others? My approach is different because I combine personalised nutrition, gut health, fitness, and mindset, teaching clients what, how, and when to eat so they can achieve lasting, sustainable health and lifestyle transformation. Who are your ideal clients and what challenges do they usually face? My ideal clients are those struggling with weight, gut health, or low energy, and I help them overcome these challenges through personalised nutrition, gut health strategies, and sustainable lifestyle habits. Can you share a success story from one of your clients? This is a success story from one of my clients: “Working with Anne has been such a pleasure. She genuinely cares about her clients and really wants to see them succeed. I’ve learned so much about nutrition, and my whole mindset around food has shifted. I now prioritise eating foods that nourish my body. Anne is supportive, knowledgeable, and makes the whole process feel doable. I highly recommend her!” What are the most common nutrition mistakes people make? One of the biggest nutrition mistakes people make is focusing on restriction rather than nourishment. Skipping meals, following quick-fix diets, or cutting out food groups can negatively impact metabolism, gut health, and energy levels. I help clients move away from extremes by teaching them what to eat, how to eat, and when to eat in a way that supports long-term health. How do you personalise your nutrition plans for each client? I personalise every nutrition plan by taking the time to understand each client’s health history, lifestyle, goals, and daily routines. Rather than using generic meal plans, I tailor guidance around factors such as gut health, metabolism, energy levels, and activity. This ensures nutrition fits seamlessly into their life and supports sustainable, long-term results. What key habits do you recommend for lasting health and energy? The key habits I recommend for lasting health and energy are consistency and proper nourishment. Eating regular, balanced meals, supporting gut health, staying hydrated, prioritising sleep, and moving the body regularly all play a vital role. When these habits are in place, energy stabilizes, and health improvements become sustainable. How do mindset and lifestyle influence your nutrition philosophy? Mindset and lifestyle play a crucial role in how we eat and how consistent we are with our nutrition. Stress, sleep, routines, and our relationship with food all influence results, which is why I address these alongside nutrition. When mindset and lifestyle are aligned, healthy choices become sustainable rather than forced.   What can clients expect when they start working with you? Clients can expect a personalised, supportive journey that begins with a comprehensive assessment of their health, lifestyle, and goals. I guide them on what to eat, how to eat, and when to eat, while addressing gut health, mindset, and daily habits. The focus is always on sustainable change, improved energy, and long-term health. What’s your best advice for anyone ready to take control of their health today? My best advice for anyone ready to take control of their health is to start with small, consistent steps. Focus on what, how, and when you eat, prioritise nourishing foods, and build daily habits that support gut health, energy, and wellbeing. Sustainable change comes from combining nutrition with lifestyle, not perfection.   Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Anne Anyia

Written by Fabienne Renders, Women’s Leadership Mentor | L&D Expert Fabienne helps women leaders to expand their influence and impact authentically, resulting in more balance and financial success. She is the founder of TalentMakers®, the creator of Start-To-Lead®, and the author of "The She Leader”, published in 2022. Stepping into leadership for the first time can feel both exciting and unsettling. Suddenly, expectations rise, visibility increases, and self-doubt may quietly sneak in. Especially for women leaders, leadership often comes with unspoken pressure to prove yourself, to adapt, and to get it right fast. But what if confident leadership does not start with doing more, and instead begins with becoming more grounded in who you already are? This article is a gentle yet powerful guide for emerging women leaders who want to lead with clarity, confidence, and authenticity from day one. Leadership does not start with answers, it starts with self-leadership One of the most persistent leadership myths is that leadership begins with skills, communication techniques, feedback models, or meeting structures. Those skills matter, but they are not the foundation. True leadership starts inside out. Before you can guide others, you need to be able to guide yourself, your thoughts, your energy, your boundaries, and your values. Many emerging women leaders feel an invisible urgency to prove themselves quickly. The result is often over-delivering, over-explaining, and overworking, while quietly wondering, am I really ready for this? Confidence is not built by doing more. It grows when you are anchored in who you are. Reflection question. "When do I feel most like myself at work, and when do I feel I am playing a role?" Clarify the leader you want to be, before others define it for you You do not need to copy someone else’s leadership style to be effective. In fact, trying to fit into a mold that does not suit you is one of the fastest ways to lose confidence. Leadership clarity does not require a five-year master plan. It starts with an inner compass. Ask yourself: What do I stand for as a human being? Which behaviors do I deeply admire in leaders I respect? How do I want people to feel after interacting with me? When you are clear on these answers, your leadership becomes coherent, and others feel that. Exercise your leadership intention. Complete this sentence without censoring yourself, “As a leader, I want to be known for.” This is not about perfection. It is about direction. Why confidence is built, not granted Confidence does not magically arrive with a title. In real life, confidence is built through small courageous actions, clear decisions, and consistent self-trust. Many women leaders wait until they feel one hundred percent ready before speaking up. But leadership confidence grows after action, not before it. A powerful reframe: You do not need certainty to take a step. You need commitment to learn. Micro-action challenge. This week, consciously choose one moment to: Share your perspective in a meeting. Set a clear boundary. Say “I’ll come back to you” instead of an automatic yes. Confidence grows in motion. Boundaries are not a weakness, they are a leadership skill One of the biggest traps for emerging women leaders is believing that availability equals commitment. It does not. Without boundaries: You become reactive instead of intentional. Your energy drains. Your credibility slowly erodes. With boundaries: You model sustainable leadership. You earn respect. You stay focused and clear. Boundaries are not about saying no to others. They are about saying yes to what truly matters. Reflection question, "Where am I saying yes out of habit or fear, rather than intention?" You are not meant to lead alone Leadership can feel lonely, especially at the beginning. But no strong leader grows in isolation. Seeking support is not a weakness. It is a strategic choice. Mentorship, coaching, and reflection spaces allow you to think clearly, challenge limiting beliefs, and grow faster and healthier. Many women leaders say afterwards, “I wish I had invested in myself sooner.” You do not need to wait until you are exhausted or stuck. Final reflection, you are up for so much more You do not need to earn your right to lead by overworking. You do not need to become someone else to be taken seriously. You are allowed to grow into leadership with intention, reflection, and support. This is not about fixing yourself. This is about unlocking what is already there. Your next step, lead with clarity and confidence If this article resonated with you, imagine what becomes possible when you create space to reflect, reconnect with yourself, and consciously shape the leader you are becoming. The SHE Leader Journal was created exactly for that purpose. It is a self-discovery journal designed to help women leaders gain clarity, strengthen confidence, reflect intentionally, and lead authentically without losing themselves. If you are ready to invest in your inner foundation as a leader, The SHE Leader is a powerful place to start, and your daily companion. Packed with prompts, exercises, and inspiration, it helps you track your wins, grow your confidence, and lead with clarity. Explore The SHE Leader on Amazon , and/or on my website . You are up for so much more, and your leadership journey deserves to be led with intention. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Fabienne Renders Fabienne Renders, Women’s Leadership Mentor | L&D Expert Fabienne is the leadership mentor to female leaders who want to improve their careers and life. She is passionate about helping them expand their influence and impact while enjoying being true to themselves. She is the founder of TalentMakers® and the creator of Start-To-Lead®. She has been in the corporate world for over 30 years and has helped thousands of employees of renowned companies learn and develop. Her mission: Better Leadership for a Better World.

Written by LaTricia Morris, Branding Agent LaTricia Morris is The Brand Revivalist, founder of Ox & Iron. She helps legacy-driven entrepreneurs cut through the clutter and create bold, unforgettable brands. With a focus on purposeful design and strategic messaging, LaTricia crafts brands that connect deeply with their audience and leave a lasting impact. For years, driven entrepreneurs have been told that scale comes from casting the widest net possible. Yet, as privacy regulations tighten and third-party cookies disappear, that old playbook is becoming obsolete. The future of marketing isn’t about reaching everyone, it’s about reaching the right people in moments that matter. This is where modern contextual targeting comes in, and its true power is unlocked not by technology alone, but by a deeply understood brand identity. Your brand is the connection you forge with your audience. Without this strategic clarity, even the most advanced targeting tools are not as effective as they should be at hitting your goals. This article will show you how to leverage your brand's core identity to transform contextual targeting from a simple media tactic into a powerful engine for building a lasting legacy. Moving beyond keywords to core values Traditional contextual targeting was a simple matching game, an ad for running shoes appeared next to an article about marathons. It was logical but lacked depth. It treated all readers as equals, ignoring the nuanced values and motivations that drive true brand affinity. Today’s privacy-first landscape demands a more sophisticated approach, one that starts with your brand’s foundational identity. Modern contextual strategies, often called contextual audiences, analyze patterns of content consumption to find people whose interests align with a brand’s core message. But for this to work, you must first have a message that resonates. Your edge isn’t just in what you sell, it’s in why it matters. Do you stand for innovation, sustainability, or community? A clearly defined brand identity allows you to move beyond surface-level keywords and target the underlying values that connect you with your ideal audience. When you have strategic clarity, you can align your campaigns with content that reflects a shared mindset. This elevates your brand from a commodity to a cultural touchstone, creating connections that competitors simply cannot replicate. Building trust in a privacy-first world In an era of increasing data skepticism, trust has become one of the most valuable assets a brand can possess. Consumers are more discerning than ever about who they allow into their digital lives. Contextual targeting offers a powerful way to build this trust by respecting user privacy while delivering genuine value. It focuses on the content a person chooses to engage with, not their personal identifiers. This is where a strong brand identity becomes your greatest advantage. Trust isn’t built on a single interaction, it’s forged through consistent, authentic communication. When your brand has a clear voice and a defined purpose, you can use contextual targeting to show up in environments that reinforce your message. Your ads become less like interruptions and more like welcome additions to a conversation your audience is already having. This alignment demonstrates that you understand your audience on a deeper level. It proves that you respect their interests and are committed to adding value, not just extracting it. For ambitious leaders looking to build a legacy, this trust is the bedrock of sustainable growth and long-term influence. Amplifying your unique voice for deeper engagement Your brand’s voice is its unique signature in a crowded marketplace. It’s how you articulate your vision, share your expertise, and build a community. Contextual targeting provides the perfect stage to amplify this voice, allowing you to engage audiences when they are most receptive to your message. Whether they are researching a major purchase or consuming content tied to a personal passion, the right context makes your message more potent. A differentiated brand identity gives you the confidence to move beyond generic advertising and create content that truly stands out. You can align bold creative with high-receptivity moments, ensuring your message not only lands but also lingers. This strategic alignment between message, mindset, and moment fosters a deeper level of audience engagement. When your brand’s unique perspective consistently appears in relevant contexts, you begin to shape the conversation in your industry. You are no longer just participating in the market, you are leading it. This is how you command attention, differentiate your position, and build a brand that endures for generations. Your next move: Integrate brand and context The phasing out of cookies is not a crisis but a pivotal opportunity to build a more meaningful marketing strategy. It is a call for leaders to rediscover the power of their brand’s core identity. Technology can provide the tools, but your brand’s unique story is what will give you the edge. Invest the time to sharpen your brand identity, define your voice, and clarify your values. Use that strategic foundation to guide your contextual targeting efforts. By aligning who you are with where you show up, you will not only navigate the future of marketing, you will define it. This is how you transition from being just another business to becoming an influential and enduring brand. Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from LaTricia Morris LaTricia Morris, Branding Agent LaTricia Morris is The Brand Revivalist, founder of Ox & Iron. At the core of her work is the belief in seeing the greatness in others and helping them communicate their true value to the people who need it most. LaTricia specializes in creating brands that are authentic, purpose-driven, and designed to resonate deeply. By aligning identity with strategy, she empowers businesses to stand out and build lasting connections with their audience.

Written by Melissa L Watkins, Spiritual Life Coach Melissa L Watkins is the founder of Guidance 311, specializing in teaching you how to connect to your own spiritual gifts, healing your shadow, and transforming your life into living your purpose with a Facebook Group: Guidance 311, Living in Love membership, 1:1 sessions, classes, and the host of Spiritual 411 podcast. From fairy tales to real-life relationships, many of us grow up believing love should be effortless and unconditional. When reality does not match the story, love can become transactional and damaging. This article explores how conditional love forms, how it creates trauma, and how shadow work and self-love can guide us back to wholeness and authentic connection. Introduction: The illusion of fairy tale love Princes and princesses, happily ever after, fairy tales, and cartoon couples show us from a young age that love is easy, compatible, and everywhere. We build it up as the dream to aspire to or attain at all costs because, from the outside, we were shown that it is easy. For some, love becomes corrupted into a transaction, I will love you if you do this for me. The fairy tale becomes a nightmare. The roots of conditional love and trauma This transactional love often leads to manipulation, where affection is conditional and used as a means to an end. This conditional love can leave deep emotional scars, fostering trauma that makes genuine connection seem elusive. It distorts our perception of what love truly is, clouding our ability to see its pure and unconditional form. We are predisposed to love. We are born with a connection to our Divinity. It is through our childhood, teenage years, and early adulthood that we lose our connection to self. We are taught and conditioned by those in authority around us to believe what they want us to believe. We then begin to look outside of ourselves to receive love from those whom we expect to love us, parents, caregivers, friends, romantic partners, and others. We will do anything to be connected to another because being alone is terrifying, so negative or bad becomes better than alone. Through learned behavior, we come to believe we can receive love if we do what another person wants, or fit into the mold or expectation they have of what a relationship is. Love becomes the weapon used to gain conformity to their ideals and belief systems, allowing them to create their version of what a safe and stable environment looks like. This often comes in some form of abuse, verbal, emotional, physical, sexual, psychic, and etheric. The journey inward: Rediscovering self-love Healing from such experiences requires a profound journey inward. It involves learning to love oneself and recognizing that true love cannot be bought or bargained for. This journey often leads to a deeper spiritual awakening, where one reconnects with the Divinity within. In the embrace of self-love and faith, we find solace and strength, discovering that love is not an external pursuit but an internal state of being. Understanding shadow work The process of healing from transactional love and manipulation is akin to the concept of shadow work. Shadow work involves diving deep into your wounds to transform trauma, releasing the pain of the past, and forgiving yourself for the role you played in the relationship. It requires confronting the darkest parts of yourself, the scars left by conditional love, and the behaviors you have adopted in response to your experiences. The boiling frog analogy: Recognizing harmful patterns Consider the analogy of a frog jumping into a pan of water. At first, the water is lukewarm and comfortable, and the frog remains content. Gradually, the heat is turned up, but the frog becomes accustomed to the rising temperature, not realizing the danger. By the time the water is boiling, it is too late for the frog to escape, and it succumbs to the heat. This analogy mirrors the experience of staying in an abusive or manipulative relationship, where the gradual escalation of harm becomes normalized, and the victim may not fully comprehend the severity of their situation until it is too late. Choosing to heal: The leap out of the pan Shadow work is the act of recognizing when you are in that pan of water and making the conscious decision to leap out before the heat overwhelms you. This requires courage and self-awareness, understanding that the comfort you seek from others may be leading you down a path of self-destruction. It involves breaking free from the chains of conditional love and abuse and reclaiming your power by nurturing unconditional love within yourself. Transformation through shadow work Through shadow work, we learn to identify and heal the wounds that have shaped our behaviors and perceptions. We confront the parts of ourselves that have been hurt, manipulated, and coerced. By forgiving ourselves for the role we played in these relationships, we release the hold these experiences have over us. This journey of healing leads to profound transformation, where we emerge stronger, more resilient, and deeply connected with our inner divinity. In embracing self-love and faith, we find that genuine love is not something to be sought externally. Instead, it blooms from within, radiating outward and attracting healthy, unconditional connections. The journey inward, though challenging, is one of the most rewarding paths we can take, leading us to a state of being where love is pure, untainted, and ever-present. Five ways to self-heal trauma Healing from trauma is a deeply personal journey that requires patience, self-compassion, and perseverance. Here are five effective ways to facilitate self-healing from trauma. 1. Practice mindfulness and meditation Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for self-healing. They help ground you in the present moment, allowing you to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Regular practice can reduce stress, enhance emotional regulation, and provide a sense of inner peace. Techniques such as deep breathing, body scans, and guided meditations can be particularly beneficial. 2. Engage in physical activity Physical activity is a natural way to release built-up tension and stress in the body. Exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals that promote feelings of well-being. Activities such as yoga, tai chi, and dancing not only improve physical health but also help reconnect you with your body, fostering a sense of empowerment and self-respect. 3. Seek support and build connections Trauma can make you feel isolated, but seeking support and building connections can be incredibly healing. Talking to a trusted friend, family member, or therapist can provide the outlet needed to express your feelings and experiences. Support groups, whether in person or online, can offer a sense of community and understanding, reminding you that you are not alone in your journey. 4. Engage in creative expression Creative expression allows you to process and convey your emotions in a nonverbal manner. Activities such as painting, writing, music, and crafting can serve as therapeutic outlets, helping you explore your feelings and experiences in a safe and constructive way. Allowing yourself to create freely can lead to profound insights and emotional release. 5. Practice self-compassion and forgiveness Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness and understanding, especially during challenging times. It is essential to forgive yourself for any perceived shortcomings or mistakes, recognizing that healing is a gradual process. Positive affirmations, journaling, and self-care routines can reinforce self-compassion, helping to rebuild a loving and accepting relationship with yourself. Conclusion: Becoming your own prince or princess In conclusion, self-healing from trauma is a multifaceted process that involves nurturing your mind, body, and spirit. By incorporating mindfulness, physical activity, support systems, creative expression, and self-compassion into your daily life, you can foster resilience and move toward a state of profound healing and inner peace. In essence, you become your own Prince or Princess. Follow me on Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Melissa L Watkins Melissa L Watkins, Spiritual Life Coach Melissa L Watkins is the founder of melissaLwatkins.com website that features her blog and services. Also, her Facebook following at Melissa L Watkins: Guidance 311, where she provides inspiration and methods to help develop skills to utilize the Law of Attraction and heal traumas, inner child wounding, and connecting to your higher self. She is a Master Instructor-Teacher with Integrated Energy Therapy® and has become Reiki certified Level 2. Her passions are teaching her Evidential Medium Course and Integrated Energy Therapy® certifications: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels.

Written by Tamara Makar, Holistic High Performance Coach Mind and muscle aligned. Pro bodybuilder Tamara Makar guides athletes and high achievers to their best. Holistic wellness for ultimate performance. Discover your edge. Level up your mind and body. For the modern athlete, the final whistle or the finish line is just the beginning of the next battle, the race to recover. We meticulously track training loads, optimize nutrition, and invest in high-tech sleep monitors. Yet, many overlook the most potent, portable, and free recovery tool they possess, their own breath. Functional breathwork is often championed for its in-game benefits, sharpening focus and accessing flow states. But a quiet revolution is happening after the main event. A growing body of science and elite practice shows that targeted, low-and-slow breathing techniques are a direct dial to the body’s repair systems, accelerating regeneration and transforming sleep from a passive state into an active recovery session. This is about moving beyond performance to mastering the art of the comeback. It's where true gains are cemented. The physiology of the "rest-and-digest" switch The magic lies in the autonomic nervous system, which has two primary gears, "fight-or-flight" (sympathetic) for performance and "rest-and-digest" (parasympathetic) for repair. After intense exertion, an athlete’s system is often stuck in a revved-up sympathetic state - heart rate elevated, stress hormones circulating. The goal of recovery breathwork is simple, manually switch the gear. By consciously slowing and deepening the breath, we stimulate the vagus nerve, the main command line of the parasympathetic system. This signals safety to the brain, triggering a cascade of regenerative benefits, a drop in heart rate, a reduction in stress hormones like cortisol, and the initiation of critical repair processes. The result isn't just feeling relaxed, it's a measurable, physiological change. This practice is proven to enhance  Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a key biomarker of recovery readiness, more rapidly, allowing you to return to high-level training sooner and with more resilience. Your 5-minute pre-sleep ritual for deep sleep Sleep is non-negotiable for recovery, but quality trumps quantity. To transition from a wired state into truly restorative deep sleep, the nervous system needs a clear signal to wind down. A short, intentional breathing practice is the most effective signal you can send. Here is a simple, 5-minute ritual to perform in bed before sleep: Get Comfortable: Lie on your back, knees bent if it’s comfortable for your lower back, or on your side. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. The 4-7-8 Breath: Inhale quietly and gently through your nose for a count of 4. Feel your belly rise. Hold: Gently hold your breath for a count of 7. Exhale Completely: Exhale slowly and audibly through your mouth, making a soft "whoosh" sound, for a count of 8. Feel your belly fall. Repeat: This is one breath cycle. Repeat for 4-5 cycles. The extended exhale is crucial, as it is the key driver of the relaxation response. This technique acts as a natural sedative for the nervous system, quieting mental chatter and priming your body for the deep, Stage 3, and REM sleep where physical repair and memory consolidation occur. The 60-second reset: The physiological sigh Sometimes, you need to downshift fast. After a grueling workout or a stressful event, you might feel jittery and unable to settle. This is where the physiological sigh, a pattern your body uses naturally to reset, becomes a powerful tool. It’s a two-step breath: Take a double-inhale: first a full inhale through the nose, then immediately a second, shorter "sip" of air to fully expand the lungs. Follow with a long, slow, complete exhale through the mouth until your lungs are empty. Do this for just 3-5 cycles. This pattern efficiently offloads carbon dioxide and rapidly calms the heart rate, acting as a "control-alt-delete" for your stress response. Use it in the locker room, in your car after practice, or any time you need a rapid return to baseline. The hidden flush: Breathing for lymphatic drainage Recovery isn't just about muscles, it's about clearing the metabolic debris of exertion. This is the job of the lymphatic system, your body's waste-removal network. Unlike the circulatory system, it has no pump. It relies on muscle movement and, crucially, diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm acts as a powerful piston for the lymphatic vessels in the thoracic cavity. Deep, belly-focused breaths create a gentle suction and pressure change that stimulates the flow of lymph, helping to clear inflammatory byproducts like lactic acid and reduce swelling. In essence, when you breathe deeply into your belly, you are actively "flushing" your system, accelerating the removal of fatigue-inducing waste. Breath: The foundation of the comeback Functional breathwork transforms recovery from a waiting game into an active process. By deliberately using your breath, you take direct, conscious control over your most fundamental physiological systems, turning down inflammation, dialing up repair, and unlocking the deepest, most regenerative sleep. This is the silent work that makes the loud performances possible. Ready to systematize your recovery and performance? These techniques are just the entry point. Mastering the full spectrum of breathwork for energy, focus, and repair requires a structured, progressive approach. If you're ready to move beyond articles and build a complete, custom blueprint for rapid regeneration and resilient performance, I invite you to apply for my 1:1 Functional Breathwork Coaching Program. This intensive 4-week online journey is designed to give you a lifelong competitive edge. We'll work directly together to assess your needs, perfect your technique, and integrate these powerful tools into a seamless daily practice that accelerates your recovery and unlocks your next level. Apply for Your 1:1 Coaching Consultation . Follow me on Facebook , Instagram , LinkedIn , and visit my website for more info! Read more from Tamara Makar Tamara Makar, Holistic High Performance Coach Imagine a world where sculpted strength meets serene inner peace. Meet Tamara, a professional bodybuilder and holistic performance coach, who doesn't just build bodies but also forges minds. Tamara empowers athletes, entrepreneurs, and driven individuals to shatter limitations, weaving together the raw power of strength training with the subtle art of mindfulness, meditation, and breathwork in order to find their balance, sharpen their focus, and achieve sustainable success. Curious how she unlocks peak performance from the inside out? Dive into Tamara's journey and discover the transformative secrets for yourself.

Brainz Magazine Exclusive Interview In a world where identity, ambition, and emotional truth often collide, few voices cut through the noise with the clarity and courage of transformation coach and speaker Ellen Mannaert. Her work—rooted in lived experience across continents and cultures—challenges women to stop shrinking themselves and instead lead with depth, honesty, and power. Mannaert’s journey is not only a testament to resilience but also a blueprint for reclaiming one’s authentic self in environments that demand constant adaptation. Her perspective is reshaping conversations around leadership, womanhood, and what it truly means to belong to yourself. Ellen Mannaert was born in Amsterdam to Ghanaian immigrant parents and raised between two cultures, shaping her into a leader who understands the complexities of identity from the inside out. As an entrepreneur, speaker, and transformation coach, she guides ambitious women—particularly women of color—in stepping into self-ownership. She is the founder of Era of You, a growing global community for emotionally aware women redefining success on their own terms. Ellen Mannaert Can you tell us a little about your background and how your journey has shaped who you are today? I was born in Amsterdam to Ghanaian immigrant parents and raised between two very different worlds. At home there was Ghana – faith, discipline, community, and a deep sense of responsibility. Outside there was the Dutch reality – Western expectations, performance, and a constant push to fit in. Very early on I learned to adapt, survive, and read the room. I became successful at that, but I also became disconnected from myself. My journey through trauma, motherhood, entrepreneurship, and healing pushed me from survival into self-ownership. Today everything I do is about helping women stop editing themselves and start leading from who they truly are. You’ve built businesses in different industries and cultures — what has that experience been like for you? Building across Europe, Africa, and now the Middle East has been wild, humbling, and deeply educational. Each culture has its own rhythm and blind spots. What I learned is simple: business is always about people first. Identity matters. And women, especially women of color, often have to prove themselves twice before being taken seriously. These experiences taught me to negotiate with grace, hold boundaries, and bring my full story into every room. What inspired your shift from entrepreneur to transformation coach and speaker? It happened naturally. Women would privately come to me saying, “I thought I was the only one feeling this way.” I realized they weren’t seeking business advice—they were seeking language for their truth. The real work I’m here to do isn’t just building companies; it’s helping women rebuild their relationship with themselves. Speaking and coaching became an extension of that purpose. You often talk about “unbecoming” and reclaiming authenticity — what does that mean to you personally? Unbecoming means taking off everything I put on to survive—the strong one, the good girl, the woman who never needs help. Authenticity isn’t loud; it’s grounded, uncomfortable, and honest. It means telling the truth about what you want, what you feel, and what you will no longer accept. My own unbecoming cost me certain identities and rooms, but I gained my voice and my peace. Can you share a challenge you’ve faced along the way that really changed your perspective? I once carried success and pain at the same time. On paper everything looked good, but internally I was exhausted. My body started saying no while my mouth kept saying yes. That season forced me to confront my patterns—over-giving, overworking, and staying in dynamics that didn’t honor me. It changed everything. I now see boundaries, rest, and healing as leadership tools. How do you balance business, travel, family, and personal wellness? Not perfectly—and I don’t pretend to. I’m a mother, a wife, a leader, and a woman with a story. I plan my year around energy, not just opportunities. I block time for family and for myself. I invest heavily in my physical and emotional health because my work requires presence. And most importantly, I allow myself to say, “I need help.” Balance is a continuous recalibration. What goals are you most excited about for the future, and what legacy do you hope to leave? My heart is fully in Era of You—the community I’m building for ambitious, emotionally aware women who are tired of growing in silence. My vision is to open Era of You communities worldwide, including in places where access to knowledge and funding is limited. This December, we hosted our first soft-launch dinner in Dubai, and it confirmed how needed these spaces are.My legacy? I want women with complex stories and identities to feel powerful, seen, and less alone. I don’t need to be remembered as the woman who did everything, but as the woman who helped others come home to themselves. Join the Movement: To join our waiting list for the next Era of You event and receive updates, follow @eraofyou.official on Instagram and send a message with the word “WAITLIST.” We can’t wait to welcome you into the next chapter.